Apparatus for lifting a track rail



June 18, 1968 F. PLASSER ETAL 3,388,672

APPARATUS FOR LIFTING A TRACK RAIL Filed Jan. 6, 1965 I NVENTORS United States Patent APPARATUS FOR LIETING A TRACK RAIL Franz Plasser and Josef Theurer both of Johannesgasse 3, Vienna, Austria Filed Jan. 6, 1965, Ser. No. 423,728

Claims priority, application Austria, Jan. 14, 1964,

A 254/64 7 Claims. (Cl. 104-7) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A track grading apparatus wherein the means for lifting the track rails is magnetic.

The present invention relates to improvements in track rail lifting machines, and more particularly to novel and improved means for holding the rail during lifting.

conventionally, rail clamps or grippers have been used in such machines to engage the rails during the lifting operation and hold them while being lifted. Such mechanical gripping means normally operate like pliers and have hook-shaped portions pivoted into engagement with the rails.

The operation of such mechanical gripping means is complicated and, therefore, subject to malfunction. Furthermore, considerable closing pressure must be exerted upon the grippers to hold the rail securely. Also, it is difficult properly to grip the rails with such means when the rails still have affixed thereto conventional fastening and rail connecting means.

It is a primary object of the invention to overcome these and other disadvantages by replacing the mechanical rail gripping means by magnetic means capable of ar rangement adjacent a track rail, in which arrangement the magnetic means exerts a magnetic holding force on the rail.

The invention takes advantage of the fact that track rails are of steel or like ferrous material capable of being magnetically attracted and held firmly while being lifted so that vertically movable magnetic means may serve in rail lifting apparatus during track grading or ballast cleaning operations. The magnetic rail lifting means of this invention may be used in any otherwise conventional mobile machine used in track maintenance operations requiring the lifting of the rails and may be kept in gripping connection with the adjacent rail during the forward movement of the machine since it merely glides along the upper surface of the rail without in any way interfering with rail fastening or connecting means along the sides of the rail.

In accordance with a preferred feature of the present invention, friction-reducing means is interposed between the magnetic means and the adjacent rails to enable the magnetic means to move freely along the rail during the forward movement of the machine. Such friction-reducing means include rollers, balls, wheels and the like. In the preferred embodiment of this invention, the magnetic means is mounted on a small trackless truck running on each rail and coupled to the front end of a suitable track maintenance machine for movement therewith. The endless truck chain engages the rail with preferably flanged chain links.

The above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating a specific embodiment of this invention; and

FIG. 2 is a vertical section showing a portion of the Patented June 18, 1968 apparatus in relation to one of the track rails, the identical view in relation to the other track rail not being shown.

Referring now to the drawing, there is shown the front end of a carriage 1 adapted for movement along, and in the direction of, the track constituted by a pair of rails 14 mounted on ties 15. This carriage may be part of any suitable mobile railroad track maintenance machine, such as a track tamper and/ or liner, a ballast cleaning machine or any other apparatus requiring lifting of the track during operation.

A support arm 2 and a carrier arm 8 are mounted on the front end of carriage 1 and project forwardly therefrom. A hearing means is provided for vertically movably mounting the carrier arm 8 on the carriage 1, the illustrated bearing means consisting of a fixed guide rod 10 connected to the front end of the carriage and a bearing sleeve 9 held on the guide rod for vertical reciprocating movement thereon. A hydraulic motor is linked to the carriage and the carrier arm for vertically moving the carrier arm, the hydraulic motor shown in FIG. 1 including a cylinder 3 linked to support arm 2 at pivot 6 and a piston rod 5 linked to the carrier arm 8 at pivot 7. Upon supply of hydraulic fluid through inlet 17 to cylinder 3, the piston 4, which is connected to the piston rod 5, will be forced upwardly and thus vertically move carrier arm 8 upwardly.

As best shown in FIG. 2, the carrier arm 8 is a bifurcated structure carrying a support frame including a pair of side plates 11, 11 for a small trackless truck including guide rolls 13, 13 journaled on the support frame and an endless chain 12 mounted on the guide rolls and arranged to engage the rail 14. The endless chain has links with flanges 12 engaging the rail.

Fixed to the support frame 11, 11 the trackless truck carries a magnet 16 which is a magnetic means exerting a holding force on rail 14 when it is adjacent the rail whereby the magnetically held rail may be lifted when the hydraulic motor is operated. If desired, the magnet 16 may be a solenoid which may be permanently energized or whose energization may be limited to the time of the lifting operation. Even in the latter case, operation and control of a solenoid is considerably simpler than those of a mechanical rail gripper means.

The operation is particularly advantageous in the illustrated preferred embodiment wherein the endless chain 12 constitutes friction-reducing means interposed between the magnetic rail holding means and the adjacent rail.

With this embodiment, the solenoid may be permanently energized and hold the rail atthe desired grade while the track maintenance machine continuously operates and advances along the track, for instance while the ballast is continuously tamped under the lifted track during the grading operation advancing from tie to tie. The frictionreducing endless rail engaging chain 12 facilitates forward movement sufiiciently to obviate any special forward thrust applied to the mobile machine, despite the magnetic force attracting the rail to the magnet.

While the present invention has been described and illustrated in connection with one preferred embodiment, it will be clearly understood that many modifications and variations may occur to those skilled in the art, particularly after benefiting from this teaching, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for grading a rail of a track, com prising a carriage adapted for movement along, and in the direction of, the track, a magnetic means mounted on the front of said carriage and capable of arrangement adjacent the upper surface of said rail and for free movement along said upper rail surface, in which arrangement the magnetic means exerts a magnetic holding force on said rail, means for mounting the magnetic means on said carriage for movement of the magnetic means with the carriage, and means for raising the mounting means whereby the magnetically held rail may be lifted.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising friction-reducing means interposed between the magnetic means and the upper surface of the adjacent rail, the friction-reducing means being associated with the free means for enabling the magnetic movement thereof along the rail during the movement of the carriage.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said magnetic means is a solenoid energized to exert said magnetic holding force and deenergized for the free movement thereof along said upper rail surface.

4. An apparatus for lifting a rail of a track, comprising a carriage adapted for movement along, and in the direction of, the track, a support frame mounted on the front of the carriage adapted for like movement and coupled to said carriage, a magnet mounted on said support frame and being adjacent, and freely movable in relation to the upper surface of said rail when said support frame moves along the track, the magnet exerting a magnetic holding force on the rail when adjacent thereto, and

means for raising the support frame in respect of the carriage whereby the magnetically held rail may be lifted.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising an endless chain and guide rolls mounting the chain on the support frame, the endless chain being arranged to engage the upper surface of the rail.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the endless chain has flanged links engaging the upper surface of the rail.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, comprising a carrier arm coupling the support frame to the carriage, and said support frame raising means including a bearing means vertically movably mounting the carrier arm on the carriage and a hydraulic motor linked to the carriage and the carrier arm for vertically moving the carrier arm.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,622,750 12/1952 Ehlers 294--65.5 2,895,429 7/1959 Baermann 10577 3,153,390 10/1964 Plasser et al 1047 ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

R. A. BERTSCH, Assistant Examiner. 

